proverbs 31:25 says, "strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come."
well... at least i've got the laughing part down.

Monday, July 09, 2007

initial thoughts

so i'm at "missionary camp" outside colorado springs for 3 weeks. i know some of you think, 'colorado springs... christian mecca! i love focus on the family!' and others of you think, 'ew. gross!' needless to say, as much as colorado is like home to me (after coming here with my mom's family every summer for years and years), i'm definitely out of my comfort zone. to an extent, that's the point. i'm here to learn about how to "deal" in other cultures. how to be uncomfortable and be me and be healthy. how to communicate and how to constructively face conflict. well, being with 39 other adults and their 20+ kids is definitely not the culture i'm akin to. i know some of what i say here could bite me in the butt later (like, if my friends here read my blog one day), but i'm going to be honest about my first impressions anyway. bare with me.first, let me say, this training is VERY good. i'm glad i'm here. now let me say, i am a fish out of water! everyone here went to Bible college. almost everyone. why? they've known they were called to missions since they were in the womb. well, almost. now i'm sure there are some really great things about Bible colleges. i'm sure i'd learn a lot if i attended one. i know my friends here have cultivated skills that will aid them in the field and i'll wish i had that training too. BUT... how in the world can you go out into the world and know the world and meet the world and love the world if you've studied in a bubble? we talk a lot about building relationships here, and i'm glad we all agree it's important, but i have to wonder... how are you going to build relationships when you can't find other christians in the field to be your friends? when you have to branch out? and isn't that the point??granted, i'm over generalizing a bit to demonstrate a point. but it is a concern i have. and it does make me exceedingly grateful for my community back home, made up of all kinds of people. and i welcome your feedback (especially from my friends here, if you ever read this) since confrontation is an opportunity for expression and growth :)pictured are the tracks i cross over to get to the santa fe trail, in my backyard. it's great to walk out the door and be able to hike every day.